Saving Her

XI

♪♫ Muskurata yeh chehra deta hai jo pehra,

Jaane chupata kya dil ka samandar,

Auron ko to har-dum,

Saaya deta hai,

Dhoop mein khada hai khud magar... ♪♫

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He placed his hand on the back of her neck and tipped her head back for better access. Fireworks were bursting through his body. He found himself leaning forward, deepening the kiss.

She placed her hands on his shoulder and moving her lips in a rhythm. It was a slow kiss, gentle and sweet.

"We didn't see anything!" Inaya's voice interrupted them.

They stiffened and pulled away. Noor hid her face in his chest while he let out a chuckle at his fiancé.

"Don't laugh! She saw us." She whispered in disbelief.

"But she said she didn't." he grinned.

"Are you teasing me?" she put her hand on her hip trying to look intimidating while in all sense she looked cute.

He decided to play along. "Maybe."

"Haww! I hate you." She turned her back to him crossing her hand in front of her feigning anger.

He hugged her from back and whispered in her ear. "No, you don't."

He turned her around, pecked her lips once more and hugged her close, grins plastered on their faces. "I'm so happy today."

∞

Aarav and Noor were sitting in the balcony, enjoying each other's company when she suddenly stated that she needs to tell him something.

He could feel her getting tensed by each passing second.

"What is it, baby?" he asked getting concerned for her.

"When you met me again, you wanted answers." he nodded. "It's time that I give you those answers."

"You don't have to if you don't want."

"I do." She looked at her hands and then back at him. "You should know. You deserve to know."

He nodded in acceptance and encouragement.

"I left you two years ago, but trust me, it was not by choice. I didn't wanted to leave you but I was forced to."

He couldn't understand what she was trying to say so he voiced it out.

"On the day of our first anniversary, when you gave me this," she pulled back the sleeve of her dress a little and lifted her hand which had the pendant that he gave her; she was wearing is as a bracelet. "Someone took a picture of us and sent it to my family. My father was enraged after he saw me with a guy. So, he came to my hostel the next day and took me back here. He didn't even gave me time to tell someone that I was leaving."

"But he was behaving normally tomorrow." He was confused.

"Yes, because he never knew who the guy was. That's why when you came home he didn't recognize you."

He nodded in understanding. "I assume there is more to it."

She gave a nod, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "He thought that I've tried to ruin his reputation so, he put me in house arrest till the college exams. In those few months they treated me like I was nothing. I did all the household work and their chores. I thought if I would do what they have told me then they would forgive me but..."

Tears were running down her cheeks. "But they didn't forgive me. No one talked to me during those months. They even refused to look at me. They took my phone so I wouldn't contact you or Inaya and Ahana. And when I-I... "

"What is it?"

She sniffled. "I don't know how but, when I came back after the exams, everyone knew that I was in a relationship with a guy. My father, he- he said that I've ruined everything for him—that I've ruined his reputation. So he... he disowned me. They kicked me out."

She was sobbing at this point and his heart clenched for her. He couldn't believe that a family can do that to their daughter. He couldn't believe that for her father, his reputation was more important than his own child.

"That's why you live here and not with them." It wasn't a question, she gave a nod. "And this marriage?"

"One of my sister's friends saw us in the amusement park and took a picture. My sister showed that to my father, he thought that I'm still trying to ruin him. So, my marriage was his solution."

"Did he... did he hit you?" he was hesitant.

She let out a humorless chuckle. "He did. And he thought that there was nothing wrong in it and the worst part, my mother and sister, they thought I deserved it."

"Oh Noor!" he took her in his embrace like he would hide and protect her from this cruel world. "I won't let them come near you ever again."

She giggled at his determined look. "You do realize that they need to do certain rituals in order to complete our marriage."

"Do you want them to?"

"No. But we don't always get everything that we want, now do we?" she smiled at him.

He didn't say anything further, just smiled at her and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.